Thinking about travel to San Antonio? You’ll remember the Alamo. And the food. And the roller coasters.

Remember the Alamo?

Not a problem–I can help because I’m still dreaming about it.

I was lucky enough to hitch onto a press trip to San Antonio, Texas recently, as Cool Mom Picks aims to cover more fun and interesting travel options and family vacation destinations by popular request, and boy am I glad I did. With international taxes and fuel surcharges making overseas trips more prohibitive, it’s great to know that there are so many cool things to do right in our own borders.

I admit that San Antonio isn’t the first place I necessarily think of when I’m considering booking a trip. But as it turns out, whether you’re traveling with kids or taking a much-needed kid-free trip, San Antonio has a lot to offer.

Getting AroundI’m going to cut right to the chase and tell you my very favorite thing about San Antonio: You don’t need a car for 95% of the awesome stuff.
Bonus when you’re traveling with kids. The downtown area is
unbelievably safe and easily traversed, whether you’re on your feet with
a stroller, taking a bus or trolley, floating on a river taxi, or
enjoying a Cinderella-esque ride in a horse-drawn carriage lit with
sparkling lights. The San Antonio River ripples right through the
downtown area alongside dozens of hotels, all within walking distance of
the Alamo, museums, rides, shopping, hiking trails, art installations,
and restaurants. You can even take a boat tour to learn more– or lure
your kids to sleep.

That means that as long as your hotel has an
airport shuttle, you don’t have to fiddle with a rental car and car
seats and the GPS with a snotty voice telling you to turn left into a
field full of steers–which is my biggest traveling fear.

But
that also means you have to go when it’s warm, because when winter winds
rip between the tall buildings, it’s like being in a freezing wind
tunnel. Anything after March should be fine– they kept telling us, “It
never gets this cold!” But for a couple of nights… boy, it was.The AttractionsSan
Antonio seriously has something for everyone and would make a great
multi-generational trip. There’s history galore, from the beautiful
missions to the beloved Alamo, which is right smack in the middle of
downtown, across from the helpful Convention and Visitors Bureau and the
kitschy museums.

Now I am talking talking serious, full-tourist,
more-for-kids-than-you kitsch: think Ripley’s Believe It or Not
Odditorium of two-headed calves, Guinness World Records, and Louis
Toussaud’s Wax Works, which got super creepy in the religious, historic,
and fairy tale parts after the celebrity section. (It ain’t Madam
Toussaud’s, but they’ve got a great Bumblebee Transformer that has
convinced my children I’m cool, as you can see.)

Campy stuff aside, there is a
Children’s Museum, but I wasn’t that impressed; seemed like they were
missing a lot of parts and toys. The grocery play station should have food, right? There are also a host of downtown museums and if you grab a city pass, they’re a lot more affordable. It can be a fun way to pass the time indoors.

The Best of the AttractionsIf
you want to let the kids run wild at the San Antonio Zoo or Botanical
Gardens, there’s a bus just for tourists that will get you to all of the
sights for $4 a day per adult. The zoo had a great kids’ area where you
can pretend to be a prairie dog or worm, and we got to see all the big
animals. The reptile house had more venomous snakes than I’ve ever seen and an entire family of Komodo dragons.
The Botanical Garden is beautiful with lots of room to run–but there is nothing specifically for kids. You’ll know whether yours are the types who appreciate nature or not.

The Witte Museum,
on the other hand, is surprisingly kid-centric, especially when you get
out back to the HEB Science Treehouse, Mt. Witte climbing wall, and
SkyCycle. If you like heights, the Tower of the Americas
can take you up 750 feet for a beautiful view of San Antonio, and your
ticket price includes a hilarious 4-D film experience that will have
your little ones squealing about bull snot for days.

I was thrilled to get to hit Sea World
(yes, there’s one in Texas) which was utterly phenomenal. It’s
the one attraction that requires a car, but if you’ve got teens who
love roller coasters, kids who dig whales, or tiny tots that will freak when they get to hug the real Grover, make sure to plan it into your trip. They’ve got a
new Sesame Street Bay of Play with enough water and dry fun to keep
preschoolers happy and cool all morning; not to mention a live Sesame
Street show and a great photo opportunity with the requisite characters.
My personal favorite was The Great White roller coaster, which is
totally worth making someone else watch the kids for half an hour.Also keep in mind that just walking around can be a cool cultural experience for kids, considering everyone in town is bilingual with English and Spanish. So even a trip to the drugstore can be fun and interesting for little ones. Eating. Oh, the Eating!San Antonio restaurants definitely spoiled my stomach. Zagat has a full 713 listings for San Antonio, so believe me, this is an eating mecca.

Families will love breakfast at the historic Guenther House,
where the cinnamon rolls were approximately the size of my head (but
tasted much better). If mom and dad can manage to get away alone, I
recommend a romantic dinner at the Little Rhein Steak House,
which has a beautiful outdoor terrace overlooking the San Antonio
River. The night we dined there, live music was playing across the river
and they offered us ponchos to ward off the chill. I’ve also read good
things about Rosario’s, which is near the Alamo and listed as one of the top 50 restaurants in the US.

But again, wherever you eat, you don’t have to drive there. So bring on the margaritas! Especially at swanky Q Restaurant, which is located in the Hyatt Regency, right on the river.

The HotelsDowntown San Antonio has loads of hotels at a wide
range of prices. If you’re into the haunted/historic thing where they
still use brass keys, try the Alamo-adjacent Menger Hotel or the Fairmount,
which has a dog concierge named Luke– yes, an actual yellow Lab– and
is across the courtyard from the best Italian food I’ve ever had at Tre Trattoria. And they have all the standards, such as the Hyatt and the Marriott, where I stayed. The Marriott Rivercenter
was good to me, with bath products from the Body Shop and a choice of
colors when I lost my toothbrush. It’s also connected to a mall, which
can be handy if you forget your swimsuit or need a trip to the
Disney Store to placate a tiny tired traveler. And there’s a Starbucks
in the lobby, too. Another plus: The Marriott is so tall that you’ll
always be able to find it, even at night.

Travel Tips You Might Not See EverywhereIf you can avoid a layover at the Houston Airport, by all means do. It was a
lot like someone’s first day at Hogwarts, with changing gates and late
flights and bad food and early flights and customer service lines so
long that people missed their flights before they could find their
luggage. I’d also counsel you to check the San Antonio weather first, because I don’t think it
would be much fun in the cold.

You can check the San Antonio Visitors Bureau website for special event information
to plan your visit at just the right time, including the San Antonio
SPURS basketball season between January and April and the amazing
Luminaria art festival in April.

I also suggest if you’ve got young kids, bring a stroller that can
maneuver up and down a couple of steps without collapsing, since there
are occasional stairs when you’re hoofing it. My other personal favorite tip: instead of the stroller, bring a great buckle baby carrier like the FreeHand. Trust me, you’ll be glad you did.

If you’re looking for a fun and, more importantly, easy travel destination for the whole family, San Antonio really can be a great way to go. Check out the San Antonio travel deals right here for some cool passes that will get you into lots of the attractions mentioned above, and visit www.VisitSanAntonio.com or call toll free 1-800-447-3372 for help planning a trip.

Congratulations to Emily D. for winning a free trip to San Antonio plus hotel, restaurant vouchers and airfare. Wow! Thank you
to the San Antonio Convention Bureau for including us on this press
trip, and covering Delilah’s expenses. Margaritas on her next time.

Crystal Evans

Mel

I would love to go back to San Antonio! I visited there very briefly when I was 18, and I know that there is so much more to do and see. I’d love to revisit Enchanted Rock! It’s a beautiful place to visit.

Danielle

I would be most excited about going to Sea World! My son’s two favorite toys right now are his whale and walrus figurines so I know he would be thrilled to see the real thing. I looked at Sea World’s website and even found an early morning day camp that they offer for toddlers!

Jessica L

Katherine Maurice

We’re born and bred Texans and have never taken our kids to SA! It was one of my family’s (and my husband’s) favorite vacation spots when I was growing up and I just can’t wait to show it to my children. I would love to hit Sea World and the Mercado along with the Alamo (of course)!

Lisa S

I would absolutely LOVE to take my kids to San Antonio. My 8 year old daughter just loves history and the Alamo. I would most like to see Sea World because all of my kids would really enjoy that Thanks for such a great opportunity

I just got done reading your article and loved it. I am looking forward to the restaurants since I went to culinary school…. but the River walk http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/play/the-river-walk/index.aspx is especially something I am looking forward to… and since I am Irish, I am going to hope the luck o’ the Irish is on my side! Thank you for such a great contest!

Natalie Tate

The food is definitely the best part of San Antonio – I’d plan a girls’ weekend with my mom and sisters that might include a cooking class at the Culinary Institute, as well as eating lots of yummy Mexican food!

Renee Previty

Miranda

San Antonio is our favorite place. Things not mentioned here are the wonderful things that are just outside of town like the Natural Bridge Caverns in New Braunfells (need a car for that one) but worth the trip.

It is unfortunate that the contest is only US as it is our dream to go back to San Antonio and we live in Canada.

I haven’t been to San Antonio since my mom was life-flighted there during a trip to Cancun. She received such great medical care that my dad and i were able to go enjoy the river walk while she rested. I would love to bring my children to San Antonio to see SeaWorld.

Kim

We lived in Dallas for 10 years and often traveled south to Austin, San Antonio, and even Corpus Christi.

For us the BEST Tex-Mex food (yes we really miss it) is at http://www.chuys.com/ …they have 2 locations in San Antonio. This place has really great food and it works very well for kids. Oh, and don’t forget to order the Sopapillas for desert!

Julie

NICE! There is so much to offer here. I would love to go on the guided river tour. I think my kids and husband would love it also. We need a vacation! Cant afford it though, and my oldest is so jealous of his classmates always going away. Makes me sad. So much to offer on this trip! http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/play/the-river-walk/index.aspx

Marsha Webber Pope

Cindi

This is amazing and I would love to see the
“http://www.visitsanantonio.com/visitors/play/the-river-walk/index.aspx…
I have heard many great things about the
River Walk in San Antonio!
Many thanks, Cindi

MY middle daughter’s FIRST NAME is….EMILY-MORGAN (it’s one of those southern double names) and we had NO idea that there was someone notorious named EMILY MORGAN!! how cool would it be to make her feel special and TAKE HER to a HOTEl with the same name!

Jen

Oh, what a GREAT trip! We used to travel so much before we had a child – we haven’t ever been able to take him on a vacation, so this would be amazing! There are so many cool sites to see in San Antonio, but one we would definitely need to hit would be SeaWorld. http://www.seaworld.com/sanantonio/

Gail P

Hannah

Grew up in Texas so would love to go back! San Antonio is one of my favorite Texas cities. I’d want to visit all these places again as an adult, but I would definitely start w/ the Alamo – such a rich part of Texas history.

Michelle G

Rebecca

We want to visit the Alamo. We watched Pee Wee’s Big Adventure this weekend & the kids want to find the basement! Last year the Texas state tour came to town and we had a great afternoon watching learning about the state. Would love to visit.

Lisa Marz

My husband would love Six Flags, and my daughter just recently discovered liking roller coasters. Could be fun. But really, anything interesting a different from home would be great to experience.
Thanks!

Tara

I’d love to bring my family to Texas Hill Country, right outside of San Antonio, for the glorious countryside and German history . The 2011 Wurstfest (the “ten day salute to sausage” in New Braunfels) sounds DELICIOUS!

The river walk boat ride at sunset sound so dreamy. Wow! Thanks for the detailed fun article. We had planned to go here as a suprise for my husband a few years ago for his 30th birthday, but we ended up being surprised with a baby instead.

ROSIE

I heard San ANtonio is beautiful. Always wanted to go
My great-grandchildren love to watch Ripleys believe it or not on television,so that would be the highlight of the trip for them.
I also would make major brownie-points if they saw a life-size transformer!

stacy

Leslie

Ooh, I’d love to visit during the MLK Jr. March and Rally – the “largest people’s march in the country.” My son shares MLK’s bday and has a special interest in his life – he would LOVE this celebration, as would the whole family.http://www.sanantonio.gov/mlk/

On my one and only trip to San Antonio, which was supposed to be a respite from winter, I got a whole trip of freezing rain and fog and a high temperature of 34. Sure would be nice to go back and see San Antonio with the sun shining.